Richonne Fictlets
by balladsinthebluegrass
Summary: A collection of very short one-shots featuring our favorite post-apocalyptic couple.
1. Chapter 1

Rick sighed irritably as he opened the front door. The community's supplies were low, and yet another day of searching the surrounding countryside had turned up nothing. Even with careful rationing, he supposed the ASZ would run out of food in about three weeks.

As he swung open the door, music floated down the hall, accompanied by the sound of a smooth alto voice. Rick felt the cares weighing him down lighten a little at the lovely sound. He followed the sound of the melody.

In a back bedroom, sitting at what he had thought was a forgotten piano, was Michonne, her fingers moving skillfully over the keys. Carl sat next to her, strumming on an acoustic guitar. His skill was obviously less than hers, but he managed to keep up well enough.

Together, they were singing:

M _eanwhile back at mama's_  
 _The porch light's on, come on in if you wanna_  
 _Supper's on the stove and beer's in the fridge_  
 _Red sun sinkin' out low on the ridge_  
 _Games on the tube and daddy smokes cigarettes_  
 _Whiskey keeps his whistle wet_  
 _Funny the things you thought you'd never miss_  
 _In a world gone crazy as this_

When the chorus was finished, Michonne looked up and realized Rick was standing in the doorway. She covered her mouth with her hands and laughed, a joyful sound almost as velvety smooth as her singing voice.

"Dad!" Carl protested. "You weren't supposed to be back yet!"

Michonne shook her head regretfully even as she still smiled. "We were going to surprise you when he got really good, so we've been practicing when you go out."

Rick smiled at his son. "Sounds pretty good to me."

Carl nodded his thanks, then excused himself. Once they were alone, Rick squeezed Michonne's shoulder lightly. "It's really thoughtful of you to teach him to play."

She shrugged casually. "It's good for him to have something new to learn, something he can see himself getting good at. It takes his mind off his eye."

Rick's eyes met hers, his gaze intense with the joy this woman gave him. How he came to be blessed with such a friend in this mad world, he would never understand. But he would always be thankful for it.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. Life is too busy for me to do much fanfiction writing, so I hope to publish some short one-shots. The song lyrics came from Tim McGraw's _Meanwhile Back at Mama's_.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rick, do you have any more toothpaste?"

The inquiry came from behind him. He smiled. Without even having to turn around, he knew who was speaking. After all, she had been coming to his room twice a day, every day, during the last week for this very purpose.

"Yeah, some," he shrugged, picking up the tube and casually passing it to Michonne. He took a moment to admire her lithe figure encased in form-fitting yoga pants and a well-worn cotton tank top. "Gotta warn you, though, it's running low."

She shot him one of her million-dollar smiles. "I'll be sparing with it, promise."

As she was walking out of his bedroom door, he added, "Hey, uhm-"

She turned back to him, brows slightly raised. "Yeah?"

"You know that lotion you put on every night?"

Slowly, a smile spread over her face. "I have lotion, yes, but how do you know I put it on every night?"

Rick's face immediately changed into an endearing shade of red. "Ah, well-", he cleared his throat before continuing. "I just figured you do because you smell like it at breakfast every mornin'."

"You caught me, Rick," she assured him teasingly. "I do put it on before bed. And?"

"I was just hopin' to borrow some," he explained. "These damn boots are tearin' up my feet. And I don't exactly have any of my own."

"Toothpaste for lotion. Seems like a fair trade to me," she nodded in a business-like manner, but her eyes sparkled. She went to her own room to fetch the bottle, returning a moment later. "Here you are."

He reached for the bottle, a blush still lightly coloring his face. "My barkin' dogs will thank you."

She paused at the door, turning back to face him. "At bedtime, you should soak your feet in some warm water first. Dry off a little, but not all the way. Then after you rub the lotion in, put on some clean socks and sleep in them. It'll work a lot better." He nodded his thanks, but she continued. "Actually, you probably ought to do some exfoliating. I have a pumice stone, if you want it."

"I wouldn't know the first thing to do with it, honestly," he admitted, earning himself one of her sparkling laughs.

"Maybe I could stop by on my way to bed," she offered. "Give you a tutorial on proper foot care."

He couldn't suppress a smile at that. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'd like that."

"See you tonight, then."

"Tonight."


End file.
